Aaron Harang pitched on Opening Day just like Chris Carpenter did, and yesterday he said that, despite Carpenter’s complaints that the baseballs felt slick, as though they had not been properly rubbed down, there was nothing wrong with them:

“Sometimes they have a little chalky feel to them. The
mud just kind of dries up and sits on the ball. It happens everywhere.
You just throw them back (to the umpire) if you don’t like it. I’ve
never had a problem with it.”

Tony La Russa complained to Reds’ general manager Walt Jocketty, but said that he was otherwise dropping the issue. If La Russa is letting something go you know it’s a non-issue, because that dude doesn’t let anything go.